Earlier this week, we celebrated Matthew’s 5th birthday! My parents came to spend the day with us, and it was such a joy to see my kids through their eyes. They see the growth. How much taller the kids are. Their new skills. Their interests. They see the joy and exuberance of childhood. They don’t see the frustrations of kids who don’t listen, or the sibling squabbles (or at least they don’t make a big deal out of it). So this week, I’m trying to celebrate my kids like their grandparents do.
Matthew’s cake request this year was a red Lego ninja cake (the character Kai from Ninjago). I made a similar blue ninja cake for Jonah’s birthday last September, so this wasn’t too hard. We’ve been using this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe, and a pretty standard almond buttercream frosting recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I made a half batch of each this time, since Jesse and I were still doing our Whole 30. It was just enough for the kids and grandparents to enjoy, plus one more snack for the kids the next day.
And here’s a quick cake trick, in case you didn’t know. Spray your cake pans with a bit of nonstick spray (or put a bit of oil in there), and top with wax paper. Trim it to fit the pan, and then pour the cake batter on top. When you remove the cake from the pan, it comes out cleanly, and the wax paper peels right off! My mom taught me this trick, and it’s saved my cakes from being a broken, crumbly mess.
Interesting Reads from This Week:
Spring Cleaning: How To Get A House That Cleans Itself from Kitchen Stewardship. The book discussed in this post sounds really helpful! And really, the idea of making things work for the habits your family already has makes sense. And my library has the ebook to borrow! I may have to read it soon…
Six Ways Parenting Preps You For Entrepreneurship from The Simple Dollar. You learn to work in whatever random pockets of time you have, and prioritize the tasks that need to get done. AKA how this blog exists…
Rearview Perspective On Why Moving Is Good For You from The Art of Simple. Earlier this week, I posted a bit about how often I’ve moved, and what effect that has had on my life. I really like the discussion of Natives vs. Transplants in this post.
Deals and Goodies:
I don’t use very many coupons any more, although I used to! But I will share when I occasionally find a good deal, and I’m working on a post to share some of the money-saving apps I do use. Look for that in the next few weeks! For now, here’s a sampling of when I would use coupons:
Coupons.com has a few diaper coupons currently available: $2.00/1 Huggies Jumbo Pack, $4.00/2 Huggies Jumbo Packs, $0.50/1 Huggies Wipes, $1.50/1 Pampers Cruisers, and $2.00/1 Luvs Diapers Pack. (Just change the category to “Baby” to find these easily.)
Pair those with cash back rebates:
- Checkout51 is offering $1.00 back on each of the following: Huggies Wipes, Huggies Little Movers Diapers, Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers, Huggies Overnites, Huggies Snug and Dry Diapers, Pull-Ups, and Good Nites.
- iBotta is offering $2.00 back on Huggies Diapers and Pull-ups, $0.50 on Huggies Wipes, $5.00 on Luvs boxed diapers, and $1.50 back on Pampers. Some of these are store-specific, but not all of them. (Also, if you haven’t signed up with this app before, they are currently offering a bonus $10 after you redeem your first rebate!)
And if you’re looking for a deal on toilet paper, you can get $4 back on Angel Soft when you spend $10 or more at Walmart through SavingStar. Coupons.com also has a $1.00/1 12-pack or larger Angel Soft. The 24 packs of double rolls are regularly $10-$12, and last our family of 6 about a month.
I normally buy diapers, wipes, and toilet paper on Amazon, but when there are multiple coupons and rebates to stack together, I will purchase them at the store. Since I’ll be shopping on Tuesday, I’m going to take advantage of these deals!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you sign up or make a purchase through these links, I receive a bit of a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!